i've been waiting for you (so come home)
by Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs
Summary: He's coming home. Emma/Ray pre-series fic.


A/N: Emma and Ray Gaines own my heart and I have a lot of headcanons about them and their lives that just need to be put into fic form. This will likely become a series! Title is from Come Home by OneRepublic and Sara Bareilles.

* * *

He's coming _home_.

It's all Emma Gaines can think about when she wakes up, hand resting on the side of the bed that's been empty for the last twelve months, save for a handful of weeks spread too far apart. She rolls onto her back, moving the hand from the sheets to the curve of her abdomen that seemed to expand by the week.

"Daddy's coming home today," she whispers to the swell, stroking her hand over the expanse and smiling at the ceiling.

Ray's plane was set to touch down on base at 2, so Emma spends the morning cleaning the house and getting ready. She knows Ray doesn't expect a person house when he returns- he told her as such whenever he was home on leave- but she needs something to do with her hands, nervous energy flowing through her.

She preps dinner- sets pork chops to marinate, tosses together a salad, bakes a chocolate cake. She still has two hours before she has to leave for the base, so she takes an extra long shower, spends longer than usual making sure her hair dries in the soft ringlets she knows Ray loves, and does her makeup with extra care.

Finally the clock ticks to one thirty, and Emma has to control herself as she drives to base so she doesn't speed. She taps her fingers against the steering wheel, an anxious beat to match her thumping heart in her chest.

There's already a crowd- families waiting for their loved ones to return, and Emma feels her heart lighten at the little kids holding signs proclaiming how much they missed the parent they'd been without for the last year. Her hand touches her belly, receiving a kick in response that tugs her lips upwards. She finds a place off to the side near the front, eyes on the hanger door as the sound of airplane engines vibrate overhead.

The wait after they touchdown is torturous- Emma shifts her weight from foot to foot, heart in her throat as the first faces start to appear almost twenty minutes later. It's agonizing, scanning them all, hoping for the flare of recognition that meant Ray was finally home- finally come back to her. And, then, finally- she sees him, familiar eyes scanning the crowd until they land on her, and his face stretches into a grin.

Her own cheeks hurt from her matching grin, and she drops her purse as she starts moving forward, unable to stop the pull towards her husband. Ray's jogging, and he drops his bag as soon as she's within reach, hands cupping her cheeks as he pulls her into a kiss. Emma laughs against his mouth, hands gripping his shirt to stay upright, swaying into him.

"You're home," she murmurs, kissing him again and again, barely parting for air as she touched his face. Ray's hands slide down her torso until he can touch the swell of her belly, his large palm seeming small against the bump. He hadn't been home since she'd found out she was pregnant- had had to learn the news over the phone on one of the rare phone calls he was allowed. She watches the play of emotions on his face, each struggling to the surface as his hand moves over her belly, marveling at the change.

"God, Em, I wasn't expecting-" Ray cuts himself off, eyes widening at the kick against his palm. "Was that-"

"That was her," Emma whispers, tears in her eyes as she beams, squeezing his shoulders. "Our daughter has been patiently waiting for her daddy to come home."

She lifts a hand to brush away the tears that fell from his eyes, stepping up onto her toes to press her lips to his cheek.

"I missed you both so much," he murmurs, tugging Emma against him and wrapping her in his arms, and this is what she had missed while he was deployed. The way he could wrap himself around her, shielding her from the outside world for just a moment; she pressed her cheek to his chest, listening to the familiar thrum of her husband's heart in her ear.

"You're home now. That's all that matters," she replies, pulling back and looking up at him. "Now let's go _home_ , Ray."

At that he grins, picking up his bag as Emma bends to scoop up her purse- Ray wraps an arm around her, holding her to his side as they walk out of the hangar. He tries to pry the keys from her hand, but she shoos him to the passenger seat.

"Let me enjoy driving while I still fit behind the wheel," she tells him, touching her belly affectionately. Ray's hand covers hers after a moment, and stays there for the rest of the drive.

* * *

"I think I missed your cooking most of all, Em," Ray says as he sits back, plate empty and a satisfied look on his face. Emma had picked at her food- while morning sickness had left with the second trimester, occasionally in the late evening nausea swept in.

"I had a lot of time to perfect it," she replies, smiling softly as she stood to clear their plates. Ray stops her though, helping her sit down before planting a kiss to the top of her head.

"Let me. It's about time I got back into the routine of chores," he tells her, and Emma sits back with a smile, watching him roll his sleeves up as he started the water.

"I could get used to this," Emma teases, laughing at the wink Ray throws back at her over his shoulder. "How long do you have before they want you working back on base?"

"Four weeks," Ray replies, placing the last plate on the drying rack. "Then I'll be in charge of training the newbies to fly."

"Did they approve your paternity leave?" Emma asks, sitting forward a little, and Ray nods.

"Six weeks of full pay, then up to four more at half," he answers, rinsing out the bubbles in the sink before he shuts off the water and dries his hands. He comes over to kneel between her legs, hands cupping her bump. "Just you and me and this little girl."

Emma smiles, then leans forward and presses her forehead against Ray's, brushing their noses together.

"Just how I want it," she whispers, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ray lifts his head to put their lips together, and Emma sighs happily.

"Now, Mrs. Gaines," he says as he pulls back, and Emma lifts an eyebrow lazily, grin tugging at her lips. "I think it's about time I took you to bed."

"Sir yes _sir_ ," Emma murmurs, allowing Ray to capture her mouth under his again as he lifts her gently from the chair, carrying her easily in his arms.

Her laughter echoes down the hall, no longer empty.


End file.
